#i wanted an icon that matches her hair but i couldnt find any i really liked unfortunately :(

[cherrylight]

hi. im super tired. ive been up for too long e_e buuuuut i also finally created something and actually did something :D

i wanted to do fake tweets again ^^ but never gotten the motivation to really do it until now! i wanted it to be selfship related too ;u;

im creating the accounts now its gonna take a while but i made mine / sonas account so here ! i wanna show you it because i think its pretty

i might edit it later but yay ...

i think it came out nice :D

[queenofwerewolves]

Bright morning sun, warm sand, flesh breeze and the smell of the ocean...

This is the best that the beach has to offer, and no doubt our crew is enjoying to the max.. Well, most of them. Some just cant stand the Sun or will literally die if a single ray of sunshine hits them. Nonetheless, they still have fun alltogether.

Here we have our team, our protagonists: Future Hope is what they called themselves, because they are the hope of the future (corny but still a good message).

Eitch one is doing something different. Our big and buffy WereRabbit himself, Griff, is happily making a sandcastle along with the baby of the group, Muffin the Fairy, using her magic to make the little detaila of the castle. Meanwhile Rooko/Rooki, Spike, Blinkachu and Kip are having a volleyball tournament, and watching them are Spooks, Togekiss and the leader of the team.

Maria, but everyone refers to her as Queen. While she may not be an actual Queen, her actions and leadership replicate the same ones of an actual Queen, always loyal to those who care and help her, and isnt afraid to speak her mind.

Maria was sipping on a soda, watching the game, while Togekiss read a book and Spooks played Animal Crossing on her Switch.

"When the bubblegum pops..~ I want you to smile..~" Spooks sang along to the game's iconic tune, Maria looked at her and smiled. "I know you cant go out in the Sun." She said "But Im sure your cloak can protect you, you should go have fun too"

Spooks smiled softly. "Thanks but I am having fun, look I just got Marshall to move into my island!"

"Aw damn, I havent even got Ankha yet!" Maria said, the two girls giggling.

"HAHA!!! SUCK IT KITTY CAT!!!"

They turn back to the game to see Blink running in circles, celebrating another win between her and Spike, who were both a team. Kip was shaking her head.

"We get it dude, you won for a third time in a row" She said with a slight smile.

"And it was a remarcable victory indeed! You have such a wonderful jump!" "Ooh man why did we even bother playing? We suck at every kind of sport out there, we were destined to lose ever since we touched the ball!" Said the witch bird Rook, with her split personalities Rooki and Rooko. Polar opposites, one being a ray of sunshine and the other being a drag in the mud.

"Hey dont sweat it birbie" said Spike, brushing his hair back. "You werent so bad, too bad your height didnt help your jumps much" He playfully scoffed.

"Ohoho! See my dear? Even our friends know that we did our very best in this game!" "Why did we even bother? We were doomed to fail since our very birth with our stupid height, why are we even here? Just to suffer?!" "Oh dear me.. Let's get you some icecream, shall we?"

The witch birb along with the blonde kitty cat went together to get some icecream, meanwhile Spike and Blink went over to Griff and Muffin, who just finished their sand castle

Griff laughed out proudly "This is awesome! It's so pretty! And these details are so.. Detailed!"

Muffin twirled in the air "Im so happy too! Fit for a King!" She shouted proudly

"Or a Queen" Griff added, looking at Maria as she laughed along with Spooks about their conversation. He sighed.

"Our Queen hasnt been doing anything but stay in that tent with Togekiss and Spooks. While I get Spooks cant go out in the Sun and Togekiss is, well... Not really into beaches, I think Maria deserves to have some fun..." He added, Muffin looked at Maria and nodded in agreement. "You're right.." She responded.

"So how's the sandcastle?" Said Spike, chewing on a piece of gum. "Aw hey it looks nice. Why do ya'll look so down?" He then noticed that their looking at Maria, and imediatly knew what they were talking about. "Ooh I see. Queen aint doing much huh?"

"It was her idea for us to come to the beach, yet she isnt having any fun? What's the damn point then?" Blink added to the conversation, just as puzzled as the rest. "Is she just gonna sit around under the tent all day? I mean I get Spooks because she cant go to the Sun and Togekiss-"

"I literally said the same thing" Griff interrupted, seeming annoyed that the conversation isnt really doing anything to get Maria to have fun under the Sun.

"Well, what do you suggest Bunny Boy?" Spike asked, blowing a bubble with his gum. Griff's floppy ears twitched as he pondered a bit, then his ears perked as he got an idea, smirking.

"I got an idea."

A little bit more into the day, Maria noticed it was quiet. Looking up from her phone, she noticed that no one was in her view. Getting worried, she put on her flipflops, tied a swimming cloth around her waist, matching her swimsuit and walked out of the tent. She looked around and couldnt find her friends, beginning to worry.

"Griff?! Spike?! Muffin?! You guys?! Where did you-" "Woah!!!"

She was suddenly picked up by the WereRabbit, and by her side she saw all of her friends, and they were all running.

"What the hell are you-" "AAAH!!!"

"SPLASH!!!"

With a sudden movement, Griff threw her into the ocean, as the others laughed at her. "We came to the beach cause you wanted Maria! Why dont'cha cool off?" Spike added, making the laughter escalate harder.

As she submerged from the water with her back turned, panting, her voice changed..

"You... You..."

They stopped laughing, instantly knowing they were fucked.. Until she turned around with the widest smile they've ever seen, laughing her heart out.

"You damn rascals! This water is so freaking cold!" She laughed out loud

They sighed in relief, knowing they'll live for another day. And laughed once again. Until Griff got rudely splashed in the face with the sea water.

"Blegh!! Aye!! What was that?!" He sneered at her, who was giggling at his reaction.

"I know it was your idea to throw me in here, Im just returning the favor!" She said, showing her tongue.

The WereRabbit growled with a smirk "ooh now you're gonna get it, Lass!" He dived in the water, swimming after her as Maria ran laughing.

"Alright!! Cannonball bitches!!!" Shouted Spike, cannonballing into the ocean along with Blink and Muffin. Kip and Rook, who came back from getting icecream, saw the entire scene play out.

"I may be a cat, but Im down for a swim!" Kip said, running towards the ocean.

"Ohoho! Come on dear!" "Nooo I dont like the taste of salt water!!" Shouted Rooko as her body flunged towards the water.

Spooks and Togekiss, watching from afar, smiled at the fun mess that was happening in the ocean, Blink and Spike splashing eitch other, Griff was holding Maria in the air as she laughed, Kip was floating in peace as Rook twirled and spun around with Muffin.

"Such children.." Togekiss said. "Im so proud to be their friends" They said with a soft smile.

"Yeah.." Responded Spooks. "No doubt the future will be bright, as long as we're together.."

"I agree my dear Royal Of Darkness. Now, want to visit my island?" Said Togekiss, pulling out their Switch as well.

"Oh heck yeah!" Spooks smiled.

And so they enjoyed the rest of their beach day, as a well-deserved break from saving the day, changing the world..

Giving Hope, to the Future...

[cleaduvalls]

i watched “spy kids 3″ twice in one week and back-to-back throughout my childhood and here are my thoughts

whos gonna use 3d effects at home

up your prices

JUNI NO YOUR H A I R

hahah funney cuz he stepped in gum

its so quiet my volumes at 44 and its too quiet

the music sounds a little like isle of dreams from the last one

oh hes wearing the necklace!!

fun fact i hadnt seen any of rocky until freshman year and when i did i didnt know where i had seen that guy before. turns out hes the toymaker

juni dont ever step out of line for ANYTHING

buscemi!!!!

spider dude!!!!

ralph!!!!!

gerti!!!

whats up with the fancy pot. i hate it. doesnt match the aesthetic

if you havent seen her since christmas “last year” then that means you havent seen her in over a year. someone would have gone for her by now

shes NINE???????

“everyones your family” yeah no i dont want “everyone” in my family

“retired” youre ELEVEN

what was with that zoom in

“games and theory” dont you mean GAME THEORY

that dude looks like colonel sanders

ew its donnagon

oh shit mrs giggles is cute

v boxx???? ew

and i OOP-

i just realized theres been an “are you with me” type thing in each movie so far

why are there only five levels????? logically there would be one tutorial level, so you only get 4 levels to play on

he go ZOOM

looks like jumpstart

or reader rabbit

he can still use telepathy????

why is he carrying the coins???????? 

this guy looks like antman

he looks nothing like a toad

wait thats the floating head from sharkboy and lavagirl. tobias i think???????

so its hardcore mode????? just make a new account

they only added that for more 3d effects didnt they

this is just target smash from smash bros

the dark side of the moon doesnt exist stupid

youre TESTERS why are you trying to WIN

“knows karate”

when i was younger i was so confused why the time went down but now i realize that they actually had to GET grandpa

yeah well he DID deal with it

iron man? dont you mean valentin avellan?

i paused the movie for like 20 minutes to find my old spy kids 3d glasses and couldnt and now im sad

the dude in silver looks like this guy i know

juni is bumblebee

p r e d d y

he escaped by winning. if demetras so good, why is she still here???

WHY DOES HER MECH HAVE TIDDIES

“no ear biting” isnt that mike tyson

wait is the platform gyroscopic or not????? it is in some instances but not in others????

great job juni you killed her

i like the hippie one hes cool

nevermind hes lame

i like the killer guy now. chaotic evil

i think they legit used daryl sabara for the poster

i feel like i had junis car as a taco bell toy but it was blue

why would you listen to him

actually it IS a turbo boost it just turbo boosts you out of the car

wOah

oh no he died

why is grandpa so cool

according to my physics teacher that shouldnt work

why is antman helping you

these bikes shouldnt be working either

why would you have to lose a life to continue the race??? the fall is clearly implemented so why does juni lose a life???

why is there a COUNTDOWN

was there a time limit on the race??? i didnt pay attention

who are the dudes in the background

i never got the “atari-sega-nendo” joke until this week. i was a loser child

even if you dont shut it down before people get online its still gonna take them a bit to get to level 5, you have buffer time

“my cool” THATS👏NOT👏A👏SKILL👏

juni theyre already gone

wait thats illegal

“lava mountain” you mean a volcano??????

hahah l0zerz

awwwwwwwww

they stole tetris

oh my God its lego star wars

wait there are TWO characters in yellow suits you cant DO THAT

oh no she died

THERES THE ICONIC LINE

“dont fall in love with a game juni” WHAT ABOUT MINECRAFT

holy crap i thought that was loss for a second

“my feet stink” THATS A REFERENCE TO THE LAST ONE!!!!!

carmen!!!!

great job juni

because lava is COOL

the floor looks like 25 pounds of meth disguised as ancient aztec calendars

i was so confused as a kid because i had actual tinker toys and these weren’t it

i alwasy wanted to be the guys in the cells

i thought they couldnt help juni anymore????? why can they manipulate the game NOW

oh no have all died

nevermind

why are you always conspiring against juni???

haha gameboy

so apparently thats elijah wood??? dont know who that is but he looks like a rat

wow. inspirational.

is the guy like??????? really tall or something?????

oops

aww :((

what kind of advanced AI is this???? developing feelings???

yes you can youre literally just code

awwwwww

you may not be smart but you have g r e a t fashion sense

its called virtual reality look it up

i love this part because hes working so hard but then his kids are calling so he just… goes

also why did they reapprove this program

WHAT ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN THEYRE PRETTY IMPORTANT

you dont have to BREAK IT you could just LEAVE

SEE YOU A R E THEIR UNCLE

nice hair ingrid

machete!!!!

F L O O P!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE👏THAT👏DUDE👏

and minion i guess

oh!!!!! floops wearing the good coat!!!!!!! he better run!!!!!

SOMEBODY RING THE DINKSTER??????

romero!

didnt you specifically say “im no loon” in the second one????

whats with the fist bump sound effect

hmm i wonder who

he go ZOOM

you can still????? go to a wedding????? in a wheelchair???? like i can assure you thats a thing

also its canon that at this point that ingrid is less than 30. carmen is 14. that means ingrid was 16 when she had carmen, and we know she was married beforehand

the toymaker isnt allowed to be family yet

YES!!!!!!! FLOOP IS FAMILY!!!!!!!!! LOVE THAT DUDE!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOD THERE WERE NO SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS D:

OH!!!!!! INGRIDS FAMILY IS AVELLAN BECAUSE THE OTHER PRODUCERS LAST NAME IS AVELLAN!!!!!! nice

alexa vega went so hard for the song in this one i love it

wait now i have to review the fourth one oh NOOOOO

[coffeecrusadeclub]

Too late? -a tyrus fic pt 1/2

*this is super loosely inspired by that scene from Love, Simon* *note its like time jumped so there no underage stuff going on* *TW tho theres a lot of drinking*

TJs POV

It took about 2 hours of debate but I decided to go to Cyrus's party. I've also decided that I was finally going to tell him how Ive felt, Ive waited just about 5 years to tell him and I think its time. I picked out my nicest tshirt and matched it with black jeans and made my way over.

I got there and was greeted at the door by a bubbly and excited Cyrus

"Hey TJ glad u could make it. Come on"

He ushered me in and I smiled at him, i contemplated telling him in that moment but decided I needed to work up the nerve since there was way more people here than i expectdd. I walked over to the kitchen and grabbed myself a beer from the cooler.

About 2 hours and 6 beers later i finally decided to tell Cyrus. I looked around and couldn't find him so I decided to ask buffy

"Hey have you seen Cyrus?"

"Uh yeah I think he went upstairs Why?"

"I need to talk to him"

"Finally telling him about your crush?"

"I-i dont know what youre talking about"

"Its okay TJ its cute, go talk to ya mans"

I shoved her playfully laughing. And turned to go upstairs I made my way to Cyrus's room rather quickly i wasn't looking up and opened the door slowly stepping in

"Hey Cyrus I really need to talk to-"

I looked up and see Cyrus sitting in the lap of some guy without a shirt making out, I felt my heart sink

"I-Im so sorry I d-didnt know"

I ran out the room not stopping even though i heard Cyrus call out for me I ran past Buffy who stopped me by grabbing hold of my arm

"What happened?"

"He was up there with some half naked guy"

"He what!? Why would he do that hes like in love with you

"Obviously not." I turned back to see a messy haired Cyrus running toward me

"I got to go" i grumbled to Buffy before quickly making an exit. As unathletic as he says he is, Cyrus can run fast when he wants he caught me outside as I was getting off the porch

"TJ please wait its not what you think"

"It looked pretty clear"

"Its not like that I swear"

"What am I supposed to think, if I didnt walk in you werent going to get in bed with that guy" I felt jealousy run through me my tone a lot more harsh than I meant.

"TJ whats this about why are you so mad?"

"It doesnt matter anymore its too late I know the truth"

"TJ please I swear-"

"Whatever Cyrus I have to go"

"TJ-"

I ignored his call and kept walking home. When I went home I realized nobody was home and just screamed into the darkness of the house I punched the wall

"IM SO STUPID" I yelled into the darkness as I slid down the wall crying. I pulled my phone out and stared at pictures of me and Cyrus. My phone was blowing up. Cyrus wanted to explain himself, Buffy wanted to know if Im okay, and Amber wanted to know where I was. I texted back Amber to let her know I walked home, and told Buffy I was fine but ignored Cyrus. I drank a few more beers that I had in the fridge before I went to bed and cried myself to sleep. I was woke up by Amber who sat at the edge of my bed with water and an asprin.

"I dont know how much you drank last night but I thought youd want this" she handed it to me and I groaned in response to sitting up and smiled at her thankfully as i took the aspirin.

"TJ what happened last night"

My heart sunk as I remembered the sequence of events last night. I looked down at my hand which was bruised and cut up from hitting the wall. I never cleaned it so there was still some dried blood on my knuckles.

"Is this what happened to the wall?"

I looked down at the glass of water I held in my lap a tear rolling down my eyes

"TJ come on talk to me what happened?"

"I was too late I missed my chance"

"What do you mean"

"I finally decided to tell Cyrus the truth. Buffy told me he was up in his room so I went to find him.."

"Oh no what was he doing?"

"He was sitting in the lap of some half naked guy who was probably more attractive that me"

"Did you see who it was?"

"No Cyrus's head was blocking the guys face."

"TJ im so sorry. Did Cyrus say anything?"

"He followed me outside and tried to say it wasn't what it looked like. I snapped at him I just- I couldnt even look at him. Hes been texting me all night I think i have a load of missed calls and texts from him"

"Whatd he say?"

"He wants to talk about what happened"

"TJ you should really talk to him tell him the truth"

"Theres no point I was too late if he was ever into me, hes not now"

"You dont know that. Come on tell me you havent hooked up with at least one guy because you were drunk off your high horse"

I looked down at my hands to avoid her gaze.

"Thats what I thought. Text him back"

She walked out of my room and closed the door softly. I looked down at my phone and read Cyrus's texts.

TJ im so sorry you saw that

TJ I swear its not what you think

TJ! Answer my texts what are you doing stop ignoring me!

I stared at my phone and contemplated just erasing his number entirely. But I couldnt bring myself to hit erase. I stared at the picture Id chosen as his icon and smiled. I felt tears rolling down my cheek. And texted him back

It sure looked like what I thought Cyrus. Whats there to talk about

He replied almost immediately, as if he was staring at his phone waiting for me to respond

Tj please I swear its not like that. I didn't even know that guys last name

Oh because that makes it so much better. I think Im better off just not texting you. See you around

TJ stop please text me back

TJ call me

Dammit TJ if you dont respond Im going to just show up at your house

I read his last text and sighed

Theres nothing to talk about

Fine then Whatever I'll see you in about half an hour then

Don't come over Cyrus I dont want to see you.

He didn't respond and I wondered if he was really coming over. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen and opened the fridge. I didnt pay any attention to Amber who was sitting at the counter, who I knew was staring at me. I reached toward the back of the fridge and grabbed a beer. Before i could even pick it up I heard Amber's voice behind me

"You dont need that"

"Mind your own damn buisness"

"TJ idk how much you drank at the party but you drank an entire six pack here."

I sighed did I really drink that much last night? I looked at Amber, who mustve sensed my disbelief,as she motioned towards the counter. 6 empty beer bottles sat there

"Those were all you TJ. Youre worrying me, youve never drink this much. You never day drink either"

I didnt respond and put the beer on the counter. I walked over to the empty bottles and grabbed them shoving them into the recycling box before grabbing my full one and walking away.

"TJ.."

"Im fine Amber" I snapped at her and instantly felt kind of bad, I sighed.

"Its just one beer"

"Yeah right now but how do I know its not going to turn to 3 then 5 and so on."

"I just need to not remember Amber I need to forget" I replied harshly

"Thats not the right way" Amber sounded like she was going to cry and I sighed, opening the beer anyway. Defeated, Amber sighed and went upstairs to her room. I opened the fridge and grabbed a full six pack and took it up to my room. About 25 minutes later I heard Amber open the door. I assumed she was going out. I heard it click shut and heard her talking to someone. I sighed and looked around I already finished off the one beer and then three more from the six pack. The empty bottles sprawled across my bed, I was half way through my 5th beer two more in the six pack. I wiped tears away from my face, I didnt realize I was crying. I heard a knock on my door and sighed

"Im not in the mood Amber"

My door creaked open and I looked up to see Cyrus poking his head in the room. He looked at my surroundings and sighed. I guess Amber told him her worries. He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

"You showed up" I said taking a drink

"TJ youre drinking too much you need to slow down"

Cyrus motioned towards the beer bottles on my bed and I scoffed.

"Look I dont know what Amber told you but shes delusional"

"Show me your hand"

"Why"

"Just show me"

I put my hand out, I still havent cleaned it so it looked a lot worse than it felt. Cyrus sighed and walked into the bathroom, he came out with a washcloth and some bandages.

"Youre going to get an infection if you leave it like this"

I watched as he cleaned and bandaged my hand "I dont know why you care so much dont you have Mr. No-Name to catch up with?"

"TJ why are you acting like this? I told you Im not into him. Either way you have no right to be all jealous"

"Im not jealous"

[banditchika]

noelle and akarsha’s very fun, very gay (study) date

word count: 4560

fandom: butterfly soup

ship: akarsha/noelle 

author’s notes: i can’t believe i’ve done this? i mean. i can, just as i also know that i stayed up till four to finish this fic, and that w/o my friends i wouldn’t have had completed this at all. thank you @nytenchanter @trashikino @thereforebucket for beta-ing this hot mess!! i couldnt have done this without yall!! anyways please enjoy this fic, it isn’t of course any way associated with butterfly soup canon beyond being set immediately after the game. i really loved playing butterfly soup, n i hope other ppl give it a try too! you can download the game at itch.io!

This is a terrible idea. An awful idea. An idea of catastrophic potential, and she means that in the worst possible way. Just last night, Noelle had sat at her desk and scribbled out a full page of equations to calculate how terrible of an idea this is. Unfortunately, Akarsha is not someone who can be contained within equations.

Noelle drums her fingers against her leg, trying not to stare at her mother from the corner of her eye. The silence presses down on Noelle like a library’s worth of books, and she struggles to bite her tongue. The quiet makes her skin itch — but silence, at least, is bearable. It’s hardly as though speaking with her mother would be beneficial, anyways. Conversations always devolve into screaming matches unless Noelle bites her cheek hard enough to taste iron. No, she doesn’t need that today, of all days. Handling Akarsha in general is trial enough; she doesn’t need an argument with her mother on top of it. Speaking of Akarsha — where is she? Noelle chances a glance at the dashboard, watches the numbers blink green: 12:33, 12:33, 12:33, 12:34…

Her mother sighs and turns the radio on. Mandarin crackles through the speakers of their car. Noelle folds her arms, presses her forehead against the window. She hates this program. It’s news in the barest sense — opinion pieces at best and superstitious fear-mongering at the very worst; and not to forget, a commercial every intermission for beef balls that Noelle thinks Diya would like if Noelle didn’t hate them to the point of refusing to eat them. Noelle’s been listening to that same commercial since she was in fourth grade.

12:53. Noelle squints. Over fifteen minutes past the time they agreed to meet. She scans the front of the library for Akarsha’s ridiculous jacket, or even her stupid buns. Nothing. A few teenagers linger on the steps: a girl with glasses and a denim jacket, a man with spiky blonde hair and a red suit, and someone Noelle vaguely recognizes as an upperclassman.

No sign of Akarsha.

Noelle shifts uneasily. She pulls out her phone and flips it open, keying in Akarsha’s number with practiced efficiency. She could have set her to speed dial like she did Diya, but. Noelle won’t give Akarsha the satisfaction. She can already imagine the teasing that would ensue, and Noelle has better things to do than enable Akarsha’s tomfoolery.

“What are you doing?”

Noelle’s teeth find her cheek. She thinks better of biting down and shows her mom the phone screen, holding her tongue as her mother leans over the console to squint at it. Thank goodness Noelle hasn’t pulled up Akarsha’s contact page. She doesn’t know what she’d do if her mother decides to question Akarsha’s ridiculous icon.

At least her username is no longer YAOI SEME.

“Akarsha is late,” Noelle explains, voice strained. “She’s not here.”

“Then call her. Your friend is so irresponsible.” Noelle bites down. She agrees, but the way her mother twists her words burns at her. So Akarsha is her friend and not competition; but only when it’s convenient? Noelle should be used to this by now, but her patience wears thinner and thinner by the day. It’s worrying. Noelle, of all people, should have control over her emotions.

“How is this girl giving you so much trouble when she can’t even be punctual to a study date?” Noelle’s mother continues. Her teeth cut into her cheek: it’s beginning to feel tender. “You aren’t working hard enough. I’m going to buy new workbooks for you. Finish them when you come home.” Noelle tastes iron. Her mother takes her silence as acquiescence; she turns the knob of the radio with bony fingers. Noelle takes a deep breath and presses call.

Akarsha picks up on the third ring. “What’s cooler than being cool? Iiiiiice cold! Alright alright alright alri — ” “Where are you?” Noelle spits, chancing a glance at her mother. She does not look impressed, but is at least transfixed by whatever story the program anchor is spinning. ���You’re twenty minutes late. You said you would be on the steps.”

“… Uh.” Noelle can picture Akarsha’s smile grow strained, eyes flicking away. “I am?”

“You are not!” “Seriously, I am! Come on dude, you’ve got your contacts on, right? I’m in front of the library.”

Noelle frowns. If this is one of Akarsha’s games —

She rolls down the window. The girl sitting on the steps, innocuous in her oversized glasses and denim jacket, raises a hand like a salute. She has a phone pressed to her ear.

“Hey, Frenchman. Missed me, now you gotta kiss me!” Akarsha’s grin is infuriatingly smug, even from thirty five feet away.

Noelle hangs up.

“What’s wrong with your hair?”

“That’s the first thing you say?” Akarsha whispers. “I guess you don’t want none unless I got buns, huh?” She swings her bookbag over her shoulder. Noelle glares at it. A bookbag — an actual, honest to goodness bookbag, without a hint of rainbow or iridescence anywhere. There aren’t even pins decorating it. Noelle didn’t think Akarsha owned anything that wasn’t calculated to be ridiculous and irritating.

“Be serious!” Noelle jabs her in the side. Akarsha stumbles and grabs at her arm, breath whooshing out of her lungs. Noelle doesn’t dare look over her shoulder, where her mother hovers like a vulture over a battlefield. Or Diya racing after a foul ball, or something requiring a similar amount of fervent focus.

“I am, dude, I am.” Akarsha pulls out a seat at a table hidden just behind the stacks and swoops into a bow, gesturing grandly at it. Noelle seethes. “C’mon, where’s the trust?”

She also pulls out a chair for Noelle’s mom. When she shakes her head, Akarsha favors her with a smile that doesn’t turn up the corners of her eyes and sits down. Noelle loathes the sight of it. Akarsha doesn’t look like herself — her foolish, irritating self. She’s wearing pants, for one thing. That should be a good sign. It’s not a good sign. Noelle pulls her things from her bookbag, and Akarsha does the same. Her school supplies are thankfully still her own: there’s Akarsha’s stupid bending pencil, an eraser shaped like a crayon, and — is that one of Noelle’s pens!? Akarsha said she’d returned it!

Noelle’s breath hisses out of her, and she wishes she were close enough to stomp on Akarsha’s toes.

[“Stop that.”] Her mother’s voice is gratingly loud from where she looms behind Noelle. [“You’ll sigh all your virtues away.”]

[“That isn’t scientific.”] Noelle tears a sheet of notebook paper more forcefully than she should. Akarsha doesn’t even lift her head, much less comment. [“It is impossible for virtue to manifest physically, much less have a unit of measurement.”]

[“Still. It’s a bad habit. Concentrate on your work.”] Noelle bites her cheek and writes her name with a heavy hand: upper right hand corner, name, date, and period.

Noelle isn’t one to put stock in miracles — those are for idiots and slackers, and she is neither — but Noelle is almost willing to become a believer when Akarsha — somehow! — manages to restrain herself from doing anything foolish in front of Noelle’s mother. It’s terrifying, frankly. Akarsha cups her cheek in her palm, turns her gaze towards her work, and then scribbles away without pause with Noelle’s (stolen!) pen. She doesn’t lift her head from her textbook, not even once. Her assignment, aside from sloppily boxed answers, is immaculate; no sign of little green men or ridiculously large-eyed anime characters in the margins. Akarsha hasn’t asked a single question: not even if pigeons have feelings.

Noelle is so busy sneaking glances at her that the nib of her own pen skitters across the edge of her paper, leaving an ugly line where a neat three should have been. Noelle sighs — her mother’s eyes bore into her back — and carefully whites it out.

It’s almost terrifyingly easy to fall into a routine. Akarsha is so quiet that Noelle can almost forget she’s there. If it weren’t for the way she flips the pen between her fingers, Akarsha would have blended into the library, just another faceless student against the backdrops of shelves and books. Noelle can almost imagine that she’s alone in her room, with nothing but the snake on her bed for company.

How disturbing. Akarsha is loud, irritating, her very presence like a desperate cry for attention. Noelle doesn’t like this.

[“I’m leaving.”] She nearly jumps when her mother speaks again, after nearly — Noelle checks her watch — half an hour of oppressive silence. Noelle says nothing, then startles when her mother presses a thin ten dollar bill into her hand. Her fingers close around it. [“Go buy lunch when you’re finished studying, then come home.”]

[“Alright.”] Her mother is in an unusually good mood. Noelle is accustomed to pushing and pushing and pushing without thanks — only the expectation that she’ll have to do even more, even better, striving for a finish line that moves further every time Noelle thinks she has it in sight. This is… unusual, but even Noelle gets pocket money sometimes. Like during New Years, when her parents parade her in front of their relatives and Noelle plays the violin, then patiently plays even more for curious aunts and uncles, eager to point at her and whisper to their own children. Sometimes, Noelle even gets to keep some of the crisp bills in those scented red envelopes. She saves those for the days that she manages to sneak away to visit a boba shop with Diya and Akarsha.

Noelle folds the bill into the plastic of her binder. Perhaps she’ll do that now. She feels full to bursting with questions as Akarsha lifts her head and politely — politely! — bids her mother goodbye. What. Noelle hadn’t known Akarsha was even capable of basic etiquette — or at least around her. She still remembers that disgusting D-triad fart. Animal.

With Noelle’s mother out of sight, Akarsha sighs and pushes her glasses up to the top of her head. She rubs her eyes. Something in Noelle snaps.

“Alright, that’s enough,” she says, slapping her palms against the table. She regrets it immediately when they begin to sting. Akarsha raises her brows, the beginnings of a smile playing on her lips. “What’s up, dude?”

“Explain.” Noelle gestures at her, all of her. Akarsha has had her stupid hairstyle since the very day they’d met. Seeing her now, with all of it hanging loose around her face, worries her. Yes, worries, because Noelle’s heart is beating too quickly, and everything about this situation feels off, like coming home only to find all the furniture moved an inch to the side. Noelle is right to be concerned. Everything about the girl in front of her is inconsistent with the Akarsha that Noelle sees every day. She wants to know why.

“It’s cosplay.” Akarsha laughs and leans out of slapping range. “I can’t believe you’ve done this.”

“There are many unknowable things in the universe.” Akarsha strikes a thoughtful pose. Noelle sinks in her seat to kick her shin. She winces. “Look: this is fine, isn’t it? Your mom’s off your back, I get to wear a sweet jacket — everyone’s winning!”

“I do not understand how a change in attire, hairstyle, and behavior would be considered a universal victory.”

Akarsha clutches at her chest. “My kokoro is brokoro, Frenchman! I thought we were buddies, pals, homies!” She wipes her eyes. “Friendos to the endos, homodach — ”

Noelle raises a finger.

“Never,” she hisses, “say that to me again.” Noelle scowls and sips at her thermos. Akarsha’s giggles echo through the stacks, and she only falls quiet when a librarian pokes his head around a shelf and glares.

Akarsha is still smiling. Noelle shakes her head. Though her answer is still less than satisfactory,  Noelle is content with her being normal again.

Akarsha pulls out a pencil bag shaped like a fish. Every scale is printed in perfect detail. It looks ready to flail its way out of her hand, and Noelle scrunches up her face, ready to scold.

Yes, normal. As much as Akarsha is ever normal, anyways.

“It’s hot. Must be my fault.”

“It is not.” Noelle ties her jacket around her waist. Typical Californian weather: chilly enough for a sweater in the morning and scorching hot in the afternoon. Oakland, however, tends to be cooler than other cities in the state. Noelle blames global warming for this atrocity.

“It’s gotta be. That’s why there’s no clouds today, y’see — ” Akarsha squints into the sun. Noelle smacks her. She’s going to ruin her eyesight! “The sun saw me and parted them to say, ‘shizz girl, you fine.’ And that’s why it’s so hot.”

“That is not why.” Noelle takes a deep breathe to explain precipitation, condensation, the movements of the planet and sun — but Akarsha pulls a rubber band off her wrist and Noelle’s explanation dries up in her throat.

Akarsha gathers her hair with both hands, pulling it up to expose the nape of her neck. Noelle stares: because she wants to strangle her, obviously. But gently. Just enough so that Akarsha would stop spouting stupidity like a fountain.

“‘Shizz girl, you fine.’”

“What?” “That’s what you’re thinkin’ right now, huh?” Akarsha puts a fist to her chin, denim creaking across her shoulders. Noelle scowls. “And so the Frenchman learned to love, the spell cast upon her castle thawed, and the faithful servants of the Eiffel Tower knew humanity once again.” “Shut up! This isn’t a Disney production.” Noelle steps on Akarsha’s foot. It feels bizarre. Shoes! She’s wearing actual shoes, like a sane person! Noelle glowers at Akarsha’s feet, cursing her flip flops as much as the lack of them. “And how many times do I have to tell you to stop saying that!? I don’t live in the Eiffel Tower. I am not French. This is misinformation.”

“How mean,” Akarsha sighs, sticking her hands in her pockets. She hops up to sit at the foot of a statue overlooking the steps and peers down at Noelle. She glares right back, defiant. “So, what are you gonna do now?”

“I don’t understand. Please rephrase the question.” “I dunno what other way I can say it, dude.” Akarsha’s fingers fan out, shoulders hunching as though to shrug. “Like, we’re done here, aren’t we?” She gestures at their book bags, the papers and textbooks and supplies neatly tucked away. “Study date’s over. What are you gonna do now?”

“… I’ll purchase something to drink, then call my mother.” Noelle traces a finger along the slit of her binder, where the money hides behind a copy of her schedule.

“You’re skippin’ lunch?” Akarsha squints at her arms. “They say you are what you eat, but you don’t gotta take being a noodle so religiously. Relax. Smell the roses. Feed the Beast. Del Taco.”

“….” Akarsha seems to be making up for her docility tenfold, every infuriating quirk magnified now that they’ve left the library. Noelle doesn’t have the energy to deal with this. She starts down the steps without Akarsha, only turning to wait once she’s reached the bottom. The tell-tale sound of feet skipping — and slipping — follow her down, until Akarsha thumps right next to her. “Woah.” Akarsha’s arms pinwheel. Noelle grabs her by the shoulder and steadies her, eyebrows raised. “Converse — minus two to acrobatics.”

“And here I thought that clowns were supposed to be good at gymnastics.” “How mean!” “I only speak the truth.” The banter and tomfoolery is comforting, in its own way. Despite the memory of the quiet, somber Akarsha that Noelle can’t burn from her mind and the new hairstyle and attire, it’s still her. Still the same idiot fool.

Noelle glances at her watch. 1:36. Her family won’t expect a call from her until at least three thirty. She looks at Akarsha: Akarsha, her hair tied in a knot at the base of her neck and glasses sitting atop her head, looking almost respectable with her mouth closed and her perpetual slouch hidden by a curtain of denim.

She can work with this. Noelle folds her arms across her chest, a smile tugging up at the corners of her lips. “Akarsha. Did you bring money with you?”

“Hi, can I get a… uhhhh…. Taro milk tea with pudding?” Akarsha glances over her shoulder. Noelle tilts her head, then winces as the weight of her ponytail pulls at her scalp. She needs a haircut — to thin it out, if nothing else.  

“A milk tea with boba, please. No ice.” The cashier rings them up. Akarsha pays. 

They seat themselves as far away from the incriminating table as possible, but Noelle still scowls at the leg that Min-seo had broken. It has since been repaired with liberal amounts of tape, but Noelle won’t forgive. Noelle won’t forget.

“Dude, I can’t believe that worked.”

“We were disguised, last we came.” Noelle counts change from her coin purse and hands it over to Akarsha, along with a few folded dollar bills. Akarsha takes it.

Noelle bends at the waist, tugging her hair free from its tail. It falls in a curtain around her face. Noelle grimaces as she straightens up again, sweeping it back from her eyes. She turns to see Akarsha grinning. “What.”

“For a second there, you looked like the Grudge.” A clicking groan grinds out of Akarsha’s throat. She croaks for a full ten seconds. Noelle stares, unimpressed. “You should wear your hair like that next Halloween. I bet you could make a little kid cry.” “And since when were your costume choices credible enough for me to take your advice?” Noelle crosses her arms. “All you did for Halloween this year was remove your windbreaker.”

“What are you talking about Frenchman? I should have gotten an award for my costume, it was so terrfyin’. I was…” Akarsha grins. “A heterosexual.”

Noelle almost smiles. She bares her teeth instead, but Akarsha’s eyes crinkle anyways, bright from behind the glare of her glasses. Whatever. Noelle will let it slide, just this once; she knows from experience that pressing the point will result in more terrible jokes than Noelle ever needs to hear in her lifetime. If Akarsha tells her that she’s ‘all bi herself��� one more time…

“Hey, what if we spiked up Min’s hair and like, dressed her up in orange? Do you think we could sneak her in that way?” Akarsha puts a fist to her chin. Noelle glances at the windows, where Min’s face — and Diya’s, to Noelle’s outrage — is plastered for everyone to see. NO ENTRY is scrawled under Min’s picture.

She scowls at it. She’s… well, pleased for them both, she supposes, but no one has any business looking so self-satisfied after getting banned from a restaurant on their first date.

“I doubt it. Her face is plastered all over the store. Disguise or no, any employee that failed to recognize her wouldn’t be worth the air conditioning they stand in.” “How mean! … Seriously, that’s harsh. Remind me never to work at a store you’re managin’.”

“Hm. Well, I doubt either of us will ever have to work in a restaurant. Our grades are high enough.” Noelle’s clawed and fought her way up to the top, Akarsha trailing just at her heels. What else would their hard work have been for, if not to secure themselves a privileged future? Noelle turns her nose into the air and grins. The motion feels plastic when Akarsha’s eyes flick away. “Nah, I guess you wouldn’t. Not that I wanna either — I don’t hate myself enough to work in a fast food joint if I had another choice.” Akarsha takes off her glasses and fiddles with the arms. She is strangely hesitant. “But it’s an option. Options are good.”

“I don’t understand. If you’re the best, then you are the optimal candidate.” Noelle frowns. “You can go anywhere in your field if you are the only option.” Akarsha opens her mouth, then seems to think better of it. Eventually she shakes her head. “I’m just sayin’ that you never know what might happen. Maybe kaiju will descend on the planet and we have to pilot giant robots while having identity crises to fight ‘em. Maybe someone’s gonna leak alien files, and all the stuff that we put stock into is gonna burst around us. Pop! Like a bubble. Or maybe we’re gonna wake up one day and realize that this, all of this?” Akarsha gasps, hand over her heart. “Oh no! All just a dream.”

She tries to punch Noelle’s arm. Noelle leans away.

“Come on, Noelle! If it hurts, then we’re actually here. Unless it’s an elaborate simulation and even our sensory experiences aren’t real — say, ever heard of simulacra? It’s wild stuff — ”

“Shut up!” Noelle, fed up, grabs Akarsha’s face. Akarsha’s eyes are wide as Noelle claps both hands over her mouth. Noelle shakes her head. “Someone with so much to say should put their mouth to good use. But of course you can’t even do that much!”

Akarsha’s brow furrows. Noelle shrieks when something slimy paints a wet stripe along her palm and leaps back, arms pinwheeling. She trips and folds up on herself, landing on the floor in a heap.

Every eye in the store turns to her.

“… Sorry,” she mutters, raising a hand toward the nearest employee. The waitress glares at Noelle as though her fall triggered a reflex to fight and kill.

Akarsha’s whispered ‘yikes!’ pierces the quiet. Noelle wants to wither, and smacks away every attempt Akarsha makes to help her up.

“Dude, that must have been… the Invisible Man.” Noelle wipes her hand on the arm of Akarsha’s jacket while Akarsha isn’t looking, too busy scrubbing her cheek against her shoulder to notice.

“There is no Invisible Man! Why did you lick me!?” Noelle fumbles in her bookbag for hand sanitizer. Of all the disgusting things to do! The Akarsha that Noelle knows and loathes has returned in full-force.

“Uh, ‘cuz you were grabbing my face? That’s a normal reaction to have!”

“No, it is not!” Noelle pops the cap and lets the sanitizer pool in her palm. She scrubs vigorously. “Do you know where my hands have been!?”

“… Nowhere fun, I hope.” Akarsha shoves her glasses on her face, then seems to think better of it and pushes it up above her temple. She grins, so widely that her face scrunches up with it. “That’s not how they flirt in France, right? Grab people and talk like movie villains?”

“For the final time, stop telling people I’m — ”

“Order number 16!”

“Wao! That’s us!” Akarsha whirls around her and bumps a shoulder into Noelle’s back. Her voice is strained, like she’s trying to fight back a laugh. “Come on, Frenchman, we can talk about your background later. Like your robot roots. Take me to your leader.”

“Akaaaarsha!”   

“We should avoid Snowcastle from now on. At least for a few months.” Noelle pokes her straw at her drink. The pointed end bounces off the plastic top. Noelle glowers at it, then tries again. This time, she breaks through.

“Yeah. I think we left an impression on the cashier.” Akarsha’s sitting on the curb, drink balanced between her knees. She’s already drained a quarter of her taro tea and eagerly sucks up the pudding gilding the bottom. “At least we didn’t get banned in disguise!”

“Don’t say that. The bar is too low; we are not repeating the Diya and Min-seo incident.”

“Okay, but you gotta admit that was hilarious.”

“It was not! We destroyed private property, and technically we aren’t even allowed to be here!”

“But here you are. You’re doing a crime, dude. I’m proud of you!”

“I don’t want it!”

Gravel crunches as a car pulls into the lot. Her mother is behind the wheel; so soon? But she’d only called… half an hour ago. Noelle’s brow furrows. She could have sworn that only half that had passed.

Akarsha stands. Her fingers flex around her drink. The glasses are back on her face, and Noelle still isn’t accustomed to them. It’s likely because Akarsha doesn’t seem to be as well, constantly hooking them off the collar of her shirt or pushing it up onto her head.

“I’m going now,” Noelle says stiffly, then wonders why. Her mother is here; it’s time to leave. That much is evident.

“Yeah.”

And for some reason, Noelle doesn’t go. Her feet are glued to the concrete. She feels like she’s in class and someone’s just solved a problem incorrectly on the board. It’s as if Noelle has something to correct — but what? It’s not as if anything’s wrong.

“Your face.” Noelle gestures at it. Akarsha’s eyebrows raise.

“I sure do got one!” She strikes a pose, index and thumb forming an ‘L’ around her chin. “Compliment me like one of your French girls, Noelle.”

“Shut up.” Noelle snaps her fingers and wishes she could pull out her calculator. There is no uncertainty in math. Akarsha is nothing if not a wild card, and interacting with her always feels like a game of chess. Noelle has to have the right pieces in the right places — and right now, she has neither. “You still look strange.” “That’s not a compliment — ”

“But, it’s not terrible.” Akarsha’s mouth hangs open. Noelle pushes it closed. “Your face is nice without the buns.”

Akarsha doesn’t seem to be able to make noise, much less speak. Noelle counts it as a victory and hurries away without saying goodbye.

For some reason, her ears are burning.

“A drink?” Her mother eyes Noelle’s cup as she folds herself into the passenger seat. Newspapers crinkle as Noelle tucks her feet inside, then closes the door.

“It was with my own money.”

“Did your friend suggest it?”

“No. Akarsha works hard.” Noelle sips her boba. It doesn’t seem as sweet as it had just moments ago, the high of winning a victory withering to ash on her tongue.

“Hm.” Surprisingly, her mother doesn’t protest. The radio is silent, and Noelle lets herself sway with the car as they turn a corner. “Her school supplies were frivolous. Don’t let her be a bad influence on you. You cannot be distracted in your studies.”

“I know. She’s a good study partner.”

“Do not help her too much. Unless you get something back, you’re only helping the competition.”

Noelle is halfway done with her drink. Home is still fifteen minutes away. “She’s my friend,” she hisses, throat tight.

“She is the one you do projects with?” At Noelle’s nod, her mother continues: “Next time you study together, do it at her house. Driving you to the library is too far, and if you are going to get drinks, you are not working.”

“… Her house?”

“Yes. Call her tonight and ask. If you are going to study, do it in a place without distractions.” Noelle’s mother glances at her from the corner of her eye. Noelle does her best not to seem too pleased.

She tries to picture what kind of face Akarsha will make when she calls tonight. Will she be surprised? Embarrassed? That’s an expression Noelle wishes she could see. She can still remember how Akarsha’s entire face had seemed to pale when she triggered the alarm at the school library.

Noelle hides a smile in her palm. Not even an hour after leaving Akarsha speechless, and she already has another victory under her belt.